after my fiancee arrvies in USA, her connecting flight is in 2.5 hours. How long does it usually take to go through immigration at the airport? Is it a fairly quick process or is it lengthly?

thanks,
JPD

Which airport is your SO coming into ?

I would imagine a lot of this would depend on several things-- weather (delays can mess up some things), which airport (Obviously some are busier than others), what time of day the flight will be (For example, if she's arriving during peak time, lines will be longer to get through immigration-- I've seen lines at some airports that take 3 hours to get through, and I've seen some that people get through in 10 minutes.), how many people are working (Some airports I've seen only 3 immigration desks open, others I've seen 14)...

Thats a great question. How about POE (Point of Entry) in LAX? What would you say a good in between the incoming foreign flight to the domestic flight to phily might be?

It has been year since I was at LAX to really remember how hard it is to go fom the international terminal to the domestic.

Also, if it's on an itinerary, is your luggage moved automatically for you? Or will she need to get her luggage at the conveyor and take all of it herself to the domestic terminal?

I guess long story short, should we just ship the stuff she needs to bring with her first so she doesn't have to bring much, if anything?

Any insight?

To catch my connecting flight at LAX it took almost four hours, and that is without having the extra issue of bringing a fiancee with me. I think it would be optimistic for 2.5 hours.

WTF???

4 hours for a "connecting" flight?!!! There is no way that should be the case, unless the recent incidents with the problems in Britain have made things that bad.

For my then fianee and I to get through Honolulu, it took 1 hour, and that was with a 45 minute wait, because there were 11 other people before us off of a Philippines Airline flight. If it weren't for that, we would have made it through within 15 minutes.

Please try to find someone with the same POE as you will have... not someone who has never gone through the actual process and is only guessing.

This is a very serious question, and I understand your concern, because we had to make a connecting flight as well. Given your 2.5 hour gap, you should have been okay... a week ago. As to how long it will take now with the new security measures... you can always try and call the airport.

Good luck.

I will not respond with the same lack of thought you put into it. I will break the timeframe down and let the original poster decide if it sounds reasonable. This was not a guess!!! This is what I experienced in Feb of this year!

1. Depending on where you are at on the plane it can take up 30 minutes before you are off of the plane and gotten to immigration checks.

2. Immigration line was aprox 30 minutes. The lines move quickly and there are a lot of them. I was told that it was NOT an unusually large number of flights arriving. So that was business as usual at LAX.

3. Baggage claim took 40 minutes! There is a lot of luggage coming off international flights. Some people get lucky and get their luggage quickly. I did not and I was not among the last to get my luggage.

4. Customs inspections line took another 45 minutes. There were only two lines and they were checking everyone!

5. At LAX if you have a connecting flight you then take your checked baggage get in another line to put in on a conveyor that will route it to your connecting flight. Another 20 minutes.

6. Travel from the International terminal to the Domestic. 20 minutes.

7. Get in line for check in at your domestic flight. 25 minutes.

8. Get in line for security inspection before entereing the gate area. Yes you left one terminal and entered another so you will go through security again! Another 20 minutes.

so add it up genius! It took just shy of 4 hours! I just barely made my connecting flight and that was only because the domestic carrier moved me through their line ahead of others because of the time my flight was leaving. If I had not asked for assistance with one of their employees I caught walking through the terminal I would not have made my connecting flight. None of those times in themselves is unreasonable, but there is no way to get through any faster.

very good responses!! thanks for the info!

she is going thru Washington, DC Dulles, i feel worried now about the connecting flight. Hopefully the airline officals will assist her.

The airlines are well aware of the time it will take most people to make it through the lines. If they booked you for a 2.5 hour time frame then it is safe to assume that will be enough time.

I wanted you to be aware of what steps she will face when she arrives. I hope that you will take that information and be prepared.

I wish you and your fiancee the best and all the happiness!

Now that we know the OPs fiancee will be going through Washington DC, the times will be completely different. We will need another genius to add up the times.

Time to go to the beach, roi.

[quote name='roi_aggie' date='Aug 13 2006, 03:45 PM' post='375808']
[quote name='Goodman' post='375421' date='Aug 13 2006, 02:32 AM']



1. Depending on where you are at on the plane it can take up 30 minutes before you are off of the plane and gotten to immigration checks.

30 minutes to get off a plane?!!


3. Baggage claim took 40 minutes! There is a lot of luggage coming off international flights. Some people get lucky and get their luggage quickly. I did not and I was not among the last to get my luggage.

40 minutes to get your luggage?!!

[[/quote]


Actually, I have flown a number of times on domestic flights to/from Detroit and Atlanta and to/from Atlanta and Houston. The fastest I ever made it off of a plane was 25 minutes in Detroit. The average for every flight is at least 30 minutes and occasionally more by the time they get first class off and then everyone else in the front of the plane off. We usually have seats behind the wings - and yes, lots of long taxi-ings to the gates; waiting at the gates for them to get in place; waiting for lots of slow people to get their overhead luggage down; lots of standing and waiting for the people in front to exit the plane and then the walks down the gateways into the terminal - 30 minutes average.

We generally try only to travel with carry on (new rules will change that though) because of the delay at baggage - yes, even though we were watching them take the luggage out of the plane and load them into the baggage cars while we were still waiting to disembark, we still had a good 30 to 40 minute wait for the luggage to arrive in the terminals. We had a number of people fly in and visit us last winter and the fastest luggage time was 15 minutes. The slowest was 1 1/2 days - they lost it and had to drive it to us - but we ended up waiting over 2 hours before they officially declared it was lost. These were all domestic flights as well - not international.

The time lines quoted above are extremely realistic for any busy airport.

[1. Depending on where you are at on the plane it can take up 30 minutes before you are off of the plane and gotten to immigration checks.

30 minutes to get off a plane?!!

2. Immigration line was aprox 30 minutes. The lines move quickly and there are a lot of them. I was told that it was NOT an unusually large number of flights arriving. So that was business as usual at LAX.

The line for immigrants, or K-1 visas, is NOT the same as the lines for all the tourists or PRs.

3. Baggage claim took 40 minutes! There is a lot of luggage coming off international flights. Some people get lucky and get their luggage quickly. I did not and I was not among the last to get my luggage.

40 minutes to get your luggage?!!

4. Customs inspections line took another 45 minutes. There were only two lines and they were checking everyone!

Once again... 45 minutes to get through customs, when all you have to do is hand them your form and answer a few questions?

5. At LAX if you have a connecting flight you then take your checked baggage get in another line to put in on a conveyor that will route it to your connecting flight. Another 20 minutes.

That sounds right.

6. Travel from the International terminal to the Domestic. 20 minutes.

On a bad day.

7. Get in line for check in at your domestic flight. 25 minutes.

That sounds right too.

8. Get in line for security inspection before entereing the gate area. Yes you left one terminal and entered another so you will go through security again! Another 20 minutes.

That sounds right, as you go through security to get to the boarding gate.

so add it up genius! It took just shy of 4 hours! I just barely made my connecting flight and that was only because the domestic carrier moved me through their line ahead of others because of the time my flight was leaving. If I had not asked for assistance with one of their employees I caught walking through the terminal I would not have made my connecting flight. None of those times in themselves is unreasonable, but there is no way to get through any faster.

No way to get through any faster? You need to fly on different airlines or go through different airports. Oh by the way, thanks for noting that I'm a genius. I appreciate that.
[/quote]
Now that we know the OPs fiancee will be going through Washington DC, the times will be completely different. We will need another genius to add up the times.
[/quote]

30 mins was what it took for me to get off the plane after it landed.

It was the same line for me at the SFO Intl Airport for the tourist/ K1 visa. I asked and was directed there. Anyway, SFO is a busy airport and both lines were quite long and we did spend that much time there.

Can't remember how long it took for my luggage to arrive but I spend a bloody hour at the customs. It was not as simple as handing them the form and answering a few questions. I talked to 2 different custom officials and had to stand in line to get my luggage checked.

Anyway, by the time my then fiance saw me, he was frantic with worry (I abided by the rules and did not switch on my cell till I got out of the terminal).

Goodness, laurenzie, Dulles?! Please be concerned. Dulles is an awful POE for US citizens and non-citizens alike. Last time I (USC) went through Dulles (3 weeks ago), passport control was fine, baggage pick-up wasn't bad, and Customs appeared to be OK. But baggage transfer was so bad that the lines were backed up right through Customs. Those with checked bags had about an additional 90 minute wait.
Make contingency plans and I wish you the very best of luck.
Oh, and congratulations!

Though they may be realistic, please keep in mind that while you are waiting to get off of the airplane, and I have been flying for 42 years, it has never taken me 30 minutes to get off, even being in the back of a 747. Also, during that time, the luggage is being removed... not waiting for you to get off the plane. Also, while you are standing in the passport inspection line, they are still unloading the luggage and placing it on the carasoul. Therefore, according to goodman's example, it took 1 hour and 40 minutes to get luggage. If that ever happend to me, I would definitely be livid!

Guess I must be lucky then, because I have never had a problem making a connecting flight, going from International to Domestic, in less than 2.5 hours. In the past year I flew overseas 4 times, on two different airlines, and I consider Honolulu to be one of the worst International airports there are. Guess others are even worse!


thanks meauxna... i took your advice!

I too have had it take 25 to 30 minutes to clear the plane and then stood in line for baggage another 30 to 40 minutes. I have flown domestically through almost every major airport in the US at one point or another and have to say that just for a domestic flight change, give yourself at least 2 hours. International that is the minimum, so when you add in the potential of having 1 to 2 hours to clear immigration...... just something to consider.

Lucky damn baaastad you are, too!

People need to remember that your luggage goes through Customs Inspection between the time it is offloaded from the Plane to the time that it goes on the carrosel. If there's a lot of luggage, more than one international flight at the same time, or something else that is holding up the customs check it may take longer to get your luggage. If you think the first time CBP takes a good look at your luggage is when you're walking through the checkpoints.. well I've got swampland to sell you in Florida.

You luggage is put through X-rays and other devices and sometimes even hand checked to see if you're smuggling things that are not permitted in the US before it ever his the conveyor in the terminal.

d'oh!
I did not know that/consider it! (no swampland, please.. I'm doing the dry landscaping thing)

Warning: I do know that at some airports, luggage will be searched *after* you clear Customs and have re-checked to your connecting flight.
I bought a couple of those TSA approved padlocks for our last trip---they worked out well. Supposedly a little sensor will change color if the locks were opened by TSA, but ours showed no change through this trip. At $7-10 each, they were a good investment!

If you're coming through LAX, you need to allow at least twice as much time as you think you'll need - they stack up the incoming planes so there are three or four different loads of people coming through customs at the same time, and even though there are about a dozen different immigration officials working, you can expect to spend at LEAST an hour standing in the line before you get to the front... (not to mention the 30 minutes of walking it takes to get to the immigration center from the gate your plane arrives at)

Last time I came through there were a bunch of people trying to get a connecting flight to the West coast some place, and the airport people came through and gathered them up and took them to the front of the line because otherwise they'd never have made their flight. They came through a few times calling people out for different flights, so they're at least partially aware of who has to go where...

For some reason my luggage seems to invite inspection. I get love letters from TSA quite frequently letting me know they hand searched my bags.

LOL

I've gotten those before!

The only time I had problems with customs, was one trip back from Thailand I didn't list anyting on the customs declaration form. They did everything short of strip searching me!!! Always be sure to list something on the customs form, even if its just a T-shirt or some other clothes. Tends to raise less suspicion.

I go through LAX all the time, but luckily only on domestic flights. Sounds like their international flights suck. I'll keep that in mind now that I'm having to move back to the mailand.

Just my 2 cents.
Since December 2005
5 trips to St Petersburg (1 on time)
2 to Paris (1 on time)
1 to Punta Cana (on time)
6 round trip domestic flights from/ to PHL 1 on time
All bets are off into philly

my last 3 flights to St Petersburg (2 x May,1 x June)from Philly were delayed 1.5~2.5 hours.
Arriving 1~2 hrs late
1 thru frankfort (lufthansa) 2 thru Paris (Air France missed connections)
JUST made my connection in Frankfort.
Pilots all tried to make up the time jet stream and all.
Last flight to Paris (April) 1.5 hrs late. (1 before right on time)

ALL Paris to PHL flights were late up two 2 hours.

Usually wait time thru IMS 20-30 min.
Luggage - Up to 25 min
Customs - walk thru hand card

Remember SO has to get processed

How good is SO english?
My SO speaks pretty good english/french/spanish and I would still meet her at POE
Imagine no language skills, new country, at least 10 hours flying and making a connection?
Or a missed connection.
Am I not feeling the love?

I have flown back into the US about 13 times in the last 4 years. My times:

Get off plane 5-15 minutes. (It often seems like forever if you're in the back of a 747. Try to be on a smaller plane like an A330 if time matters to you.)

Passport check (not immigrating) - extremely variable - 5 to 45 min.

Luggage - If a long immigration line, then there when I get there. If immigration is fast, then usually no more than 15-20 minutes.

To this point - ususally about an hour.

Customs - never more than 3 minutes. (Maybe I just look honest? I've never been checked.)

Recheck luggage (at International terminal) - extremely variable, depending on the airport. Chicago used to be bad, but is now MUCH better. Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland (Oregon) all under 10 minutes.

International to Domestic - Chicago - fast, frequent monorail; Portland - no delay at all! Los Angeles can be bad because of different terminals. But if you're going from International (about terminal 4) to a higher numbered terminal, you can get on any of the car rental shuttles, and just get off at the right terminal. Backtracking to terminals 1-3 is 10 minutes max. if you walk fast.

Domestic check in - you should not have to do this. Get your domestic boarding pass when you check in for your international flight.

Domestic security line - use the following web site to check the security time for your terminal based on time of day, day of week. Then add 10-15 minutes, just in case. With people checking more bags these days, it may go even faster.

http://waittime.tsa.dhs.gov/stateResolver?...p;submit=SUBMIT

Bottom line: I may allow a 2.5-3.0 hour connect time. But I usually make it in under 1.5 hours, and sometimes get on an earlier flight if there is frequent service.

Great web site!!

I will add one on flight delays

http://www.fly.faa.gov/flyfaa/usmap.jsp

time to do some laundry brother...

Has anybody been through JFK on a Saturday afternoon? I have 3 hours between my flights, do you think this is enough?